Brickmaking machine



4Shets-Sheet 1 March 13, 1951 J. J. MANDRYL.

' BRICMAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1947 -INVENTOR w E N R O n A W W W m m J. J. MANDRYL BRICKMAKING MACHINE March 13, 1951 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1947 JELQMMMJWVRMM I INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 13, 1951 J. J. MANDRYL BRICKMAKING MACHINE 4 Shee' tsSheet 3 Filed Dec. 13, 1947 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS J. .1. MANDRYL BRICKMAKING MACHINE March 13, 1951 4 sheets-sheet 4 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR Jm h J Kamila Q .BY ?W,*M J$, r (Sums ATTORNEYS i atenied Mar. 13, 19 51 BB MAK MAG NE Joseph J. Mandrrl, fis k m. if." assigns 9 Bric maste Ina... New ork, Y a. eexe ar App c n De mbe 3 & Se ia 1519' file-5&3

- Qlaime This invention relates to brieisemakin chines and more particularly to machines .of the type described in -Dietrichs United States Let: ters Patent No. 1,782,413, patented November 25, 1930'. The invention aims to provide certain im: provements in brickemaking machines of this type, and in particular to provide novel and proved troweling and tamping agences and in proved pallet discharging means. 1

The brick-making machine to which. the in: vention relates has a conveyor of pailetacareiers for continuously carrying brickesu-pporting pail lets through various brick-making operations in volving feeding, troweling and tamping cf the brick material in molds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each paliet-ca-rrier and a plurality of longitudinai and equally spaced stationary divider bars positioned intermediate and similarly spaced frem twe outer stationary side plates. Throughout this spec-iiicat-ion and the appended claims that end of the machine at which the brick material -is-fed to the molds on the pallets is referred teas the forward end and that end of the machine at w i h h pall s oaded wi h m de r k are discharged is referred to as the rear endlf According to one aspect of the inventignf the height of the divider Ibars from their forward ends rearwardly to the stage of final brick formation is substantialiy less than the eonteinpiated thickness of the brick to be molded vv-lrile the height of the bars rearwardi y .over their remainme ieng h s igh r than the c ntem d th il= me s cf the bri to e vx lq esl- Th Po nt 91 he ght ch nge is abru t. a t e u standin edge Of he bar a the P nt o ght change is ad vant seously b vele and .forwa dl inclined. Just rear ardl @i the 1291 t oi .h sm change in t e divi er bars. indivi ual final new?! in each bri k mold pr v ed, Th se IQWQlfi have a common support gOYQ1 II1eall age pnovided. er d st ng he ng e i qcmasst o the rcwels with the u per sur ace 9? the brick. t0 e .tmwv iled.

. Ac ord ng to anot er asp ct o the nvent n. improved rotar am ng a sitmwel a m ans a e provided rearwa dl I h feed 9f the fb ma rial t th m lds. Thismeans e mpri tars blad s Qf uch whim; and angular disp sinon as to push and Press the rick materiei let? the sides n corners c the out r a cild when: th ressure .91 1. 1 9 eed does net reach. n merely c rotar blades e nove and new Proved rota tamning pa dl s span ing away sexera mick molds.

According to a further aspect of the inye temp es the melded Midi s QQIlfin W5"? k h I d spgs d m ldl eecipreeet, i a suh ta tieal mane 12y vines Q5. ee -el hi eis cnneeticn centr e a i. s a the stag d o; t divider hers ace Q? the time hei ht which tam-nine an te aiin the ndividae mcld tameing. the mo ded bric s a e .c se ticn oi the divides have 9 hie; lit and are individually subiected 9 a ine-, newline,

'Tne toreeoins and 9 K Q; invention wiiibe nest v 1 t ee; the QlIQW: ns descriiation taken c m nctien wit the Edie wmp myine drawin s, Fig. 1 is a iensitudinai section cf a ,bri lirmelse ns machm embodyin the improvements of the inventi n.

ig. 2 is a ten star; .of the machin Fig. 3 is a -vertica'1 section on the section qline eke-3 of Figs. *1 and 2,

e is a rtica w ifln en the section efilof Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 5 is a elevatien of a divider bar,

Fig. 6 is a seeticn en the section line 6116 Fig. 5, Fig 7 is a initial sectional on the sectien iine 1 of Fig. 1, P

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are detail views of the in;

' divid-ual trbwels and adusting means therefor,

and

Figs. 11, i2 and =1-3 are detail views of the rotary blades.

The'd va'vv-in gs i liustrate -a brick-making maef chine of the type described in-the United States patent cf Dietriehs No. 1 7824 13 machine operates continucusi y to produce molded hricks and is especiaiiy adapted for the =prcd-ueticn molded concrete hiicks. The machine has a plurality of whet-carriers 10 having upstanding ack H and s a ed upst ing suppoets 1 2 upporting r movab e pe lets f a t ey p ei'ee bmush F1 eu es ve mut t ng a s Of .1 m hine. iiihs pell ts ar ightly wi er th n th ir car iersan henc extend fh r dis an PW-9.1!?! the ide ed es at the a ri rs .(Fie '3 I 91 1e ca r er 1 are seam t9 W9 .u peraiiye dis a d 5' vstlinks of the chain and successive carriers are centrally secured by saddle members I4' to corre-. sponding alternate links of the two chains. Each of the sprockets I5 and I5 has 8 teeth and hence with each revolution of the sprockets the chains move through the length of four pallet-carriers. The sprockets I5 and I5 are keyed to rotatably mounted shafts I6 and I6 respectively. The shaft I6, at the discharge endof the machine, carries a sprocket I! (at one end thereof) adapted to be driven by a chain I8 and cooperating sprocket I9 secured to a drive shaft 20 of the machine. Y i v The endless chains and pallet-carriers secured thereto constitute a pallet conveyor. As each pallet-carrier passes around the forward sprockets I5 into a horizontal position, a pallet I3 is placed on the spaced supports I2 of the carrier. When the pallet-carriers arrive in the horizontal position adjacent one another, the distance between successive upstanding'backs I I is that corresponding to the length of the brick to be made and the vertical height from the upper surface of the pallet to the top of the back I I corresponds to the thickness of the brick. I 7

Each pallet-carrier has a plurality of backs II corresponding to the number of bricks to be molded per pallet. The backs II are fastened to the rear edge of the carrier in slightly spaced relation from one another, and longitudinal slicer or divider bars 2I extend through the spaces II' 4 bearings '39 secured to the side frames. The tamper 21 is suspended from a shaft 42 rotatably mounted in bearings 39 carried by the uprights 33 and 34.

The machine is driven by a pulley or the like 43 secured to one end of the shaft 42. A pinion 44 is secured to the other end of the shaft 42, and engages a gear 45 secured to one end of the shaft 4|. The shaft 4| ha a pinion 46 engaging a similar pinion 41 on the shaft 40 for driving the latter. The pinion 46 also engages a gear 48 on the shaft 28 for driving the latter. The

sprocket I3 is secured to the other end of the shaft 20, and a clutch 49 is provided for operatively connecting and disconnecting the sprocket I9 to the shaft 20.

The sides of the brick molds are formed by L- shaped plates 5!! supported by brackets 5| secured to the uprights 33-35 and 3436, respectively. Each longitudinal divider bar 2| has at its forward end an apertured upstandin ear 2I. A rod 52 extends through the aligning apertures of the five divider bars and is supported at its ends by brackets 53 secured to the uprights 35 and 3G. The divider bars extend upwardly in the slots or spaces I I between the individual backs I I of the pallet-carriers and rest on the upper surface of the pallets. From the upstanding ears 2! to just beyond the tamper 21, the height of the dibetween the individual'backs from near the forward end of the machineto'near'the discharge end,-the bars dividingthe pallets lengthwise into sub-divisions corresponding to the width of the bricks. The continuously moving conveyor carries the pallets through thessuccessive operat ons of brick' making; .and delivers .thecompletely molded bricks 22 to the discharge .end of the machine. The 'machin'eillustrated in the drawings is designed to mak six bricks on each pallet, but this number may be more or less: The brickmaking operations comprise generally,-'( delivery of the cementitious or other mass, of which the bricks are composed, froma hopper '23 to the advancing pallets, (2) mixing, troweling, and tamping by rotary blades 24 and paddles 25., (3) troweling by'a transverse bar 26, (4) tamping by a vertically reciprocating tamper 21 and (5) final troweling by individual trowels 28. a 1

The operative elements of the machine are supported by a structural steelframework comprising two vertical sideframe plates 30 and 3 I resti-ng on the ground or other foundation and tied together in spaced relation by two angle bars 32. Pairs of spaced-uprights 33-34 and 35-36 are secured to the side frames 30 and 3 I, respectively.

blades 24 and the paddles 25 are secured to shafts 40 and 4|, respectively, rotatably mounted in The lower survider bars is substantially less than the contemplated thickness of the bricks. Over their remaining length (i. e. from the point just beyond the tamper), the height of the divider bars is slightly greater than the contemplated thickness of the bricks. The upstanding edge 54 of each divider bar, at the point of height change, is forwardly inclined and beveled in order to impart side compression to the-brick material as it advances against this beveled edge (Figs. 5 and '7). If desired, the upper horizontal edge 55 of that portion of the divider bar of shorter height may also be beveled (Fig. 6). The height of the divider bars at their forward ends may advantageously be about one-half the contemplated thickness of the finished brick, and the height of the bars over their remaining length may be one eighth to one-third greater than the contemplated brick thickness.

53 Themix-er blades 24 are shown in detail in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. The blades are generally semi-circular in contour and each is secured to asemi-cylindrical hub 55 provided with an aperture .51 to permit bolting of the hub and attached blade to the shaft 40. When assembled and bolted on the shaft, the blades are .angularly inclined for pushing and pressing the brick mate! rial from the center outwardly, and hence into the .corners of the outer brick molds (on each side) .where the downward pressure of the feed (from the hopper) is not adequate to properly fill the corners of those molds.

Two paddles 25 .are bolted to the shaft 4|. The paddles are circularly concaved at the base to conform with the diameter of the shaft 4| to which they are bolted, and from the base (of greater width than the diameter of the shaft II) the sides of the paddle extend outwardly to a blunt peak (Fig. 1). In rotating, the paddles exert a rotary tampering and troweling action ,on the top of the material in the brick molds. In the machine illustrated in the drawings, eachpaddle spans three brick molds. The shafts 40 and M, and hence the blades 24 and paddles 25, rotate in oppositedirections.

The tamper 21 is a transversely disposedplate adapted-to be vertically reeipr'ocated to impart a rapid tampering action to the material in the molds as they progress beneath the tamper. The tamper plate is suspended from two spaced eccentric bearings mounted on the shaft 42, each bearing comprisin an eccentric core 58 fastened to the, shaft and rotatably mounted within a sleeve 59. The sleeve has a threaded and hence vertically adjustable connection with a tubular connector 6-8. A vertically disposed link 51 is pivoted at its upper end to the connector '60 and at its lower end is pivoted to a yoke 62. The two yokes are pivoted to the upper part of the tamper plate in the same spaced relation-r ship as the two eccentric bearings. The axes of the two pivots of the link "6| are parallel with each other and withthe axis of the shaft 41,

and the reciprocation of the tamper plate is therefore in a substantially vertical plane.

The remaining structural features of the machine can be best described in connection with its operation. Power is supplied to the ii, the side plates 50 and the divider bars 21. 5

The rear wall '23 of the hopper terminates at about the level of the shafts Ail-41, so that the molds pass into the rotary troweling and tamping zone with some excess of material. The rotary blades 24 mix and trowel the material and press it into the corners of the outer bricks which the pressure of the hopper feed failed to fill. The rotating blades then exert a combined tamping and troweling action on the material. The molds next pass beneath an adjustable cutofi plate 83 and troweling bar 26. g

The bar .26 is generally U-shaped with one upstanding leg secured to the cut-ofi plate 63, the other upstanding leg forming a scaling guide for the tamper 21,, and the intermediate portion being substantially .flat and horizontal to exercise the contemplated troweling action as the filled molds pass underneath it. The cut-off plate '63 is attached to the rear wall 64 of the rotary troweling and mixing zone by bolts '65 threaded in spaced lugs 66 and 61 secured to the wall and the plate 63, respectively. thus permitting vertical adjustment of the plate (i3. The plate 63 is secured to the wall 54 in its vertically ad,-

justed position by bolts -68 which pass through 5 therein to approximately the contemplated thickness of the bricks. The cut-:off plate 53 is so adjusted as to fill the molds wi-th the amount of material required in the finished brick. The

horizontal or tampi-ng surface of the tamper 2-1 is relatively narrow in width, the brick length being 1-8 to 20 times as long as the effective tamp ing Width of the tamper, so. that the bricks on each pallet are tamped progressively .from their advancing ends to their. withdrawing ends as the 6 pallet passes underneath the tamper. as illus-i trated in Fig. l of the drawings.

The tops of the divider bars 21 are covered with the brick material until the action of the tamper on the material is completed. As the molds pass beyond the tamper 2?, the material therein meets the upstanding beveled edge 54 of the divider bars, and the bevel imparts a degree of side compression to the material as it passes into the zone where the height of the divider hers is greater than the thickness of the bricks. Here the molded bricks are subjected to a final troweling by the individual trowelS 28.

The trowels 28 extend rearwardly, like the prongs of a fork, from the lower edge of a vertically disposed base plate 28 {Figs 8, 9 and .0). The base plate forms a sealing guide for the tamper 21 on the side opposite the upstanding leg of the u shaped bar 26. I The rear ends of the trowels 28 are secured to a transverse supportin bar 69 appropriately slotted on its lower edge to span the divider bars 2|. The tro-Wels 23 are secured to the stationary side plates 56 (of the. brick molds) by off-set brackets in which permit I adjustment of the angle of contact of the trowels with the upper surface of the material in the molds. cured by bolts H to the end trcwels. The outer ends of the brackets "18 have a wid -an led wedge-shaped contour (Fig. 8) adjacent and contacting the horizontal portion of the L-shaped side plates 5%, and are secured to the plates by two spaced bolts '12. By loosening one bolt 12 and tightening the other, the angle at which each bracket Til is fastened to the plat 55 can be varied to adjust as desired the angle of contact of the trovvels 28 with the brick material.

The completely molded bricks now travel to the discharge end of the machine. Mounted for free rotation on the shaft iii are two spaced pulleys 13. The pulleys 13 are positioned directly beneath the ends of the pallet l3 extending beyond the pallet-carrier, and hence do not interfere with the travel of the carriers. Each pulley l3 is connected by a cable 14 to another pulley (not shown) which is driven so that the cable moves at a slightly faster rate of speed than the pallet conveyor. The two cables 74 are synchronously driven. As a pallet, loaded with molded bricks, arrives at the discharge end cf the machine, the extending ends oi" the pallet are picked up by the two cables l t and carried oil and away from the machine at such a speed as to clear the pallet.- carrier in its movement around thesprocket In this manner, each pallet with its load of molded brick is automatically discharged from the machine and conveyed by the cables M to any desired place for subsequent handling.

The improvements of the invention insure filling of the molds with the brick material, and thereby minimize the production of imperfect brick due to unfilled mold corners and other voids in the brick material. The successive tamping and troweling actions impart to the brick material a substantially homogeneous structure of uniform density. The two-height divider bars permit better mixing, trowel-mg and tamping until the brick has attained its final shape, and the final individual troweling of the brick, between relatively higher divider bars, imparts to each brick a finished top surface comparable with the other smooth surfaces in contact with the mold walls.

I claim:

:1. In a brick-making machine in whicha CD11".

At their inner ends the. brackets are sei attests veyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries removable brick-supporting pallets through various brick-making operations and in which molds for the bricks are formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each palletcarrier and a plurality of longitudinal and equally spaced stationary divider bars positioned intermediate and similarly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises divider bars having a vertical height substantially less than the contemplated thickness of the brick to be molded up to the stage of final brick formation and having a height higher than the contemplated thickness of the brick to be molded beyond said stage.

2. The improvement in a brick-making machine according to claim 1 further characterized in that the height change in each divider bar is abrupt and the upstanding edge of the bar at the point of height change is forwardly inclined and beveled.

- 3. In a brick-making machine in which a conveyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries removable brick-supporting pallets through various brick-makin operations involving feeding, roweling and tamping of the brick material in molds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each pallet-carrier and a plurality of longitudinal and equally spaced stationary divider bars positioned intermediate and similarly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises a vertically adjustable cut-off plate, a vertically reciprocable tamping plate, a horizontal-disposed tr-oweling plate having at its forward end an upstanding flange secured to said cut-off plate and at its rear end an upstanding flange contacting the forward side of said tamping plate, and a plurality of longitudinally extending trowels corresponding in number to the number of molds on the pallet and secured to a common verticallydisposed support contacting the rear side of said tamping plate.

4. In a brick-making machine in which a conveyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries removable brick-supporting pallets through various brick-making operations involving feeding, troweling and tamping of the brick material in molds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each pallet-carrier and a plurality of longitudinal and equally spaced stationary divider bars positioned intermediate and similarly spaced from two outer, stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises a vertically reciprocable tamping plate, said divider bars having a vertical height less than the contemplated thickness of the brick to be molded from their forward ends up to a point just beyond said tamping plate and having a height higher than the contemplated thickness of the brick from that point to their rearward ends, and a plurality of longitudinally extending trowels corresponding in number to the number of molds on the pallet and positioned in the spaces between said divider bars and said side plates with their forward ends at approximately the point of height increase of the divider bars.

5. In a brick-making machine in which a conveyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries removable brick-supporting pallets through various brick-making operations involving feeding troweling and tamping of the brick material in molds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse back secured to each pallet-carrier and a plurality of longitudinal and equally spaced stationa'ry divider bars positioned intermediate and slmi larly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises a vertically adjustable cut-off plate, a vertically reciprocabletamping plate, a horizontally disposed troweling plate having at its forward end an upstanding flange secured to said cut-off plate and at its rear end an uptanding flange contacting the toward side of said tamping plate, and a plurality of longitudinally extendingtrowels corresponding in number to the number of molds on the pallet and secured to a common vertically-disposed support contacting the rear side of said tamping plate; said divider bars having a vertical height less F than the contemplated thickness of the brick similarly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises rotary troweling and tamping means proximate but rfearwardly of the feed of the brick material, a

vertically adjustable cut-off plate r'earwardly, of

said rotary means, a horizontally-disposed U-shaped troweling plate having its forward up-' standing leg secured to said cut-off plate, a V81: tically reciprocable tamping plate withits forward side in contact with the other upstanding leg of said troweling plate, and a plurality of longitudinal extending trowels corresponding in number to the number of molds on the pallet and secured to a common vertically-disposed support contacting the rear side of said tamping plate.

' 7. Ina brick-making machine in which a conveyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries re-' movable brick-supporting'pallets through various brick-making operations involving feeding, trowjeling and tamping of the brick material in molds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each pallet-carrier and'a plug rality of longitudinal and equally spaced sta tionary-divider bars positioned intermediate and similarly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprises rotary troweling and tamping means proximate-but rearwardly ofthe feed of the'brick material, a vertically adjustable cut-off plate rearwardly of said rotary means,- a horizontally-disposed -U-shaped troweling plate having its forward up standing leg securedto said cut-off plate, a vertically reciprocable tamping plate with its forward side in contact with the other upstanding leg of-said troweling plate, a plurality of longitudinally extending -trowe1s corresponding in number to the number of molds on the pallet and secured to a common vertically-disposed support contacting the rear side of said tamping plate, said divider bars having a vertical height less than the contemplated thickness of the brick to be molded from their forward ends up to a point charge end of the machine and upon which the advancing end of the next pallet to be discharged from the machine is adapted to be pushed by: the movement of the pallet-conveyor, and me moving said pallet-supporting device in tion away from the discharge end of the n at a higher rate of speed than that of the palletconveyor.

8. In a brick-making machine in which a conveyor of pallet-carriers continuously carries removable brick-supporting pallets through 'vafrious brick-making operations involving feeding,-troweling and tamping of the brick material in niolds formed on each pallet by upstanding transverse backs secured to each pallet-carrier andia .plurality of longitudinal and equally spaced ary divider bars positioned lntermedi a, M similarly spaced from two outer stationary side plates, the improvement which comprise's-plurality of blades mounted on a rotary shaft proximate but rearwardly of the feed of the brick material, the blades on one part of the shaftf'having a contour and angular disposition to P111511 the brick material toward the adjacent side plate and the blades on the other part of the shaft having a.

contour and angular disposition to push'the brick material toward the other side plate as the shaft rotates, and faygtamping paddle spanning several brick mold nd mounted on a rotary shaft proximate but 'rearwardly of the rotary shaft carrying the blades.

5 JOSEPH J. MANDRYL.

PEEFERENCES CITED references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS 

